Ballentine Family

First Generation

George Ballentine was born about 1635, and died about 1702. He is mentioned in Lower Norfolk Co. court record book C, p. 55, 4 Feb. 1652/53, as "George Valentine servant of Christopher Burrow decd. having three more years to serve". By June, 1662 he had married Frances Yates, daughter of John and Joan Yates, and widow of Richard Markham. John Yates was a ship's carpenter, and was in Lower Norfolk County by 1636. Frances had married Richard Markham in 1657, but was left a widow with a baby son, John Markham, at Richard's death in 1660.

Note: I have no proof yet that the Paul Ballentine who is named as David's son in his will is the same Paul Ballentine who married Ann Cawson. The dates are reasonable, i.e. David was old enough to have a son who was married in 1736. David's will leaves a parcel of land to his son Samuel, and use of his "houses and land and plantation not before given away" to his son David and then to his heirs, but if David Jr. were to die without issue, then this land goes to David Sr's son Peter. There is a further contingency that if Peter also dies without issue, then this land goes to Samuel. Thus neither David Jr. nor Peter has a family yet. In contrast, their brother Paul receives no land and seemingly a token inheritance of 20 shillings cash, suggesting to me that Paul may already have married and received his share of the family land some years earlier. There are of course alternative explanations, and it is possible that the Paul Ballentine who married Ann Cawson is a different person altogether. However, I have found no evidence as yet for another Ballentine family in this area of the age of George Ballentine Sr., and I suspect that my Paul is therefore George's grandson in any case.

Was Julia Fleming's mother a Mason or Mayson? This family liked to use family surnames as given names, and I haven't found any links between the Mason family of Norfolk and the Ballentines that look promising. I haven't been able to find Julia's parents yet, and I am therefore wondering if Mason Ballentine got his name from her ancestors.

Church and Julia married in Southampton Co. VA on 5 Sep 1782, but I haven't found any other documentation to tie them to that county. There is a hint of a connection to a Fleming family in Gloucester Co. VA, however. Can anyone help me with this?

I also have no information on Margaret's first husband, Jesse Sikes. They married in Norfolk in 1804. What happened to him? Did they have children?